QB2 Battle

Well we got the first pre-season game out of the way. How do you feel the battle between Rudolph and Haskins is shaping up? While both of their performances were nothing to write home about (Dear Mom and Dad,...) I believe Mason had the slight edge. Bottom line, Rudolph didn't do anything to lose the job, but Haskins wasn't overwhelming either. The Mason fumble was an obvious miscommunication. I think Claypool was supposed to take the ball and not just a hand off. I don't know you can blame it on either one specifically. Definitely a shared blame! If the season started tomorrow I would say Mason is still QB2.

 

Fact check: True.

 

I've really wanted to like Rudolph, and have tried for a few years now. There's just something about him that I don't like. He just doesn't seem to have that "it" factor. Rudolph has always kind of reminded me of a slightly better Landry Jones.
I think Dobbs and Haskins have a higher ceiling, but also a lower floor. I guess it depends on how much the team wants to gamble.

 

Rudolph still looks like Scott Campbell to me. I just don't see him being anything more than serviceable.

 

In other news... we have a badass punter.

 

We really need to get lucky and draft a QB for the future.

 

It's pretty much what I expected.

I am rooting for Haskins as I believe he has a greater upside than Rudolph.

Like I said before, people are going to realize what they had with Ben when he retires. Being a good QB is one thing but having a winning mentality is another.

I'm pretty certain Mason Rudolph will be handed the keys with pretty lucrative 2 to 3 year deal when Ben hangs it up so we'll to see if he can hang with the #1 team.

For this year, he's number 2 unless Haskins locks it in

 

Neither did anything to make you think they are the QB of the future. I agree. I thought Mason was a bit better than Haskins. But not by much.

 

One thing is clear. Anyone who was advocating to bench Big Ben and put in one of these guys is nuts. Even at 39, Ben is head and shoulders above all these guys. He was even still better when his knee was gimpy and his play tanked during the last quarter of last season.

 

These 3 backups are good enough to make an NFL roster buts that about it. I know Rudolph and Hodges managed to get to an 8-8 record in 2019, but that was with the defense leading the league in sacks, forced turnovers and even scoring a few TD's. Without the defense playing out of their minds the Steelers wouldn't have won more than 4 or 5 games that year.

 

Yeah right. Ben's performances in December of '18, '20 and playoffs vs. JAX and CLE.... were total feces shoved through a sludge filter.

 

Mason did better following the script and not over thinking it. Haskins was better at creating in chaos for gains.

 

Honestly I thought Haskins looked better.

I thought Mason looked "efficient" and I mean that as a compliment. I thought Mason looked solid

Haskins looked in control. I thought he was going through his reads. If anything I thought he looked like he had a little bit of HAPPY FEET. He reminded me of that line about a Duck... he was calm and collected from the waist up... but under the water his feet were going like crazy. But that arm is hard to miss

Dobbs looked the most calm to me.. maybe thats because he has zero pressure on him.. or maybe because he is a vet playing against young newbies fighting for their spot.

Mason looked cautiously nervous
Haskins looked energeticly nervous
Dobbs looked as cool as the other side of the pillow.

HACK

 

Though I agree with You a lot. In this not much. I really can't name many Qbs that win a lot of games without the help of an at least decent Defense.
It's like when Haters say Ben won his Super Bowls because He had a Great team around Him, and I say Name Me One Qb that Won a Super Bowl without a Great Team around Him.

 

i agree, Ben had a great team, but Ben was also great. If ben had that 2019 defense instead of duck and mason, you're looking at a deep run. Hopefully he is back on track another year after the injury. either way, he's easily the only QB on the roster right now that is competent

 

Hoping to see Haskins get the start in game number 2 and then let Mason come in and open up the offense and throw the ball deep.

You have to let Mason play in a play action offense where you are pushing the ball down the field vertically.

 

Nothing I saw changes my current position that Rudolph is a very solid backup (maybe even a fringe starter) and Haskins is going to have to show a lot more than he has to this point of his career if he wants to beat out Rudolph for the backup spot.

 

Ben's performance in Dec of 2018 is worlds better than anything Mason or Haskins has put on tape.

 

Mason has shown flashes of being a starting QB in this league. I think it was very difficult to evaluate his talents given the horrible system we have been running. Mason looked the part until he got knocked out. He was terrible after that hit. Hopefully he can get his mojo back. If not I don't think Haskin's in the answer either but it's early. You cant really evaluate either of these guys given the new system and 1 pre season game.

 

Watching Mason throw that 2 yard pass on 3rd and 12 last night just made me sick.

Where was this new offense that everyone keeps talking about?

 

lol its week one of the preseason. You think they are running a system on the field to beat the cowboys? You are kidding I hope.

 

Haskins will prevail in the end if I were to place a wager. Seems to me that last night's performance was, as expected, a test run of sorts for Haskins. New OC, new QB Coach and new personnel are all still in progress; Haskins himself in this new overall team structure no less.



While he still does have some problems, his talent and ceiling far exceed both Dobbs and Rudolph. Giving him time in this new system will be paramount. Should he show good strides in game two next Thursday, that does bode well for him.

 

I thought Haskins did ok. I liked the bootleg throw to Rader.

Rudolph just looks very ordinary to me.

I went to bed when Dobbs came in so I didn't see him.